


The Pull Between Two Families

by cutearrowgirl



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-06 04:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6737890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutearrowgirl/pseuds/cutearrowgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two families of best friends find themselves at a struggle to keep their personal feelings for each other hidden from their family and friends. Mainly Naley, with some Brucas and Jeyton.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Family Ties

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first OTH story, I hope you all like it, no promises it will be the best but I try. It is a repost from FF.net so you may have seen this there. Please let me know what you think. All the characters are the same as the show just different family settings, and a little different relationship settings from the show

"Hey, wake up sleeping beauty." He teased as he gently pushed her sleeping figure.

"No, I had a long night, let me sleep." She groaned, pulling the sheets up over her head.

"Hales, you and Lucas watched movies all night. Now get up lazy bones before Karen calls wondering why you are late for work."

Haley shot up from her bed at the mention of work and looked at her clock seeing it was 9:45 am and she was going to be late for work.

"Jake! Why didn't you wake me up like an hour ago?" She exclaimed as she jumped off her bed and ran to her closet to grab clothes before running to the bathroom to get ready fast.

He just laughed as she hurried to get ready. He went over to the bathroom door before talking threw it to her, "Brooke is waiting downstairs for you to go to work, by the way." She then let out a frustrated sigh as she threw the door open to glare at him. "I'm headed to the river court with Nathan to practice for a while, I'm thinking we will stop by for lunch."

Haley looked down as she started walking over to her bed trying to hide the small smile that formed on her face at the mention of her brothers best friend. The mention of them being at the Cafe later, almost gave her butterflies.

She turned to her brother with a half smile acting like it was no big deal, "Thanks for the heads up, I gotta go. See ya loser!" Haley smiled and laughed as she grabbed her cell and purse before running out of her room and downstairs to a waiting and annoyed Brooke.

"Haley!" Brooke exclaimed dramatically as she noticed Haley running down the stairs. "were going to be late now!'

"Sorry Brookie, you can blame your lame loser of a cousin for not waking me up earlier." Haley shrugged and smiled at Brooke hoping she would forgive her and be annoyed with Jake instead.

"Okay fine." Brooke said smiling back at her favorite cousin and yelling to Jake as the they walked out the house, "Bye Jakey, thanks for making us late!" Brooke and Haley both laughed as they walked out of the house and to Brooke's light blue, VW Bug. Both girls getting in, they sped off to the Cafe.

"Hey man, your late." Jake said as he shot the basket ball into the hoop as Nathan walked on the court.

"Sorry bro, Lucas wouldn't stop talking about one of the movies he and Hales watched last night and when I left to come here he asked me to drop him by the Cafe." Looking over to his best friend as he dropped his bag and clapped once for the ball, Jake threw it to him as he shot it, making a swish as he smiled and turned back to Jake.

"So, how was the 'party' last night?" Nathan said throwing up air quotes, to signify he knew Jake lied about going to a party.

Jake looked at him shocked, thinking he played it off pretty well yesterday, "I, uh..., well last night, was uh...," he started to stutter a bit as he didn't know how to explain himself.

Nathan just started to laugh as Jake didn't know what to say next. "Dude! Don't sweat it, Peyton is my cousin, she told me last night that you guys went to a movie." Nathan chuckled a few more times as Jake recovered.

"Nate, I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how." Jake said hoping Nathan wasn't he pissed.

"Jake, your my best friend, you don't have to keep the fact that you have the hots for Peyton a secret. Everyone has known since you met her." Nathan laughed a little more.

"No they haven't!" Jake exclaimed trying to cover for himself.

Nathan started laughing harder as Jake looked aggravated. "Dude, I'm just glad you finally did something about it. She is my cousin, I want her happy, your a good guy and can make her happy. Just don't hurt her." Nathan said getting serious all of a sudden.

"I wouldn't dream of hurting her, I love her." Jake said with a smile.

Nathan chucked the ball towards Jake as he ducked fast letting it fly by, almost nailing him in the head. "Stop being a girl and lets play! I hear enough about all this 'love' shit from Lucas about Brooke."

Jake laughed as he ran to get the ball before shooting it again. "You are just hostile about it because you don't know what love is." Jake laughed again as he went to the middle to start the one on one game with Nathan.

Nathan went to meet Jake in the middle thinking to himself, man if Jake only knew he would kick my ass right now, thinking about his best friends sister.

Peyton walked in the Cafe with smile, as she noticed her best friend cleaning a table. Slowing and quietly walking up behind her, "Hey, B. Davis!"

Brooke jumped and her breath caught Peyton came up behind her. She turned to her best friend with a glare. "That was mean, P. Sawyer! You scared the shit out of me!"

Peyton doubled over in laughter as Brooke jumped and slightly scolded her. As she slowly recovered she looked up at Brooke with a sincere smile, "I'm sorry Brooke, it was just too hard to resist and so funny!" Peyton tried holding in her laughter this time.

Brooke smiled and back and laughed a little with her, "OK, you got me pretty good. Now go tell tutor girl to get you something to eat before your aunt comes out here and sees I still haven't finished this table."

Peyton nodded and went to a seat at the counter. Waiting for Haley to come out of the back she noticed Lucas walking down the stairs that lead to the roof.

"Hey loser! What are you doing here?" Peyton said with a smile as she looked over at her cousin.

Lucas smiled at her, "Oh Ha Ha, aren't you just a crack up." He said with a chuckle. "I figured I'd help out since it's a Saturday. Why are you here cuz?"

Peyton looked down remembering that the reason why she came in was so she could 'coincidentally' be here when Jake and Nathan showed up for lunch like Jake suggest the night before.

"Oh, just figured I would stop by for some of the best food ever made!" Peyton said looking up to Lucas with a smile, hoping he would take it and move on.

Lucas shrugged and smiled, "Alright then. I gotta go ask my mom something, I'll be back in few."

Just as Lucas left into the kitchen Haley walked out with a plate in one hand and a cup in the other and set it down right in front of Peyton. "Here you go girlie!" Haley said with a smile.

Peyton smiled up at her other best friend, "Thanks Hales! How did you know I was here?"

Haley laughed as she looked over at Brooke and then back to Peyton, I heard you scare Brooke when you came in so I figured I go with the usual and just bring it out to you."

"Well, thank you. This is exactly what I was going to get." Peyton smiled as she took a small piece of chicken off her salad and ate it. She looked up at Haley as she heard the Cafe door open and saw the look of hatred cross threw Haley's eyes. Peyton instantly turned around and saw Rachel walking in.

Haley noticed Rachel walking in like she was the hottest thing on this planet and gave her a dirty look. If looks could kill Rachel would be long gone with the looks Haley was sending her.

Brooke came out of the back and noticed Rachel, "What are you doing here Rach- Ho?" Brooke exclaimed, annoyed that she would come into the Cafe.

Rachel smiled at all three girls with a fake smile trying to piss them off, "I'm just seeing if Nathan is here." She said walking up to the counter a few feet away from each girl.

Peyton looked at her like she was stupid. "And why exactly would you come in here looking for him? What you couldn't handle Lucas and Jake rejecting you, you have to get one more hit from Nathan doing it too?" She said with a smile.

Haley and Brooke both smiled at Peyton's comment.

"Those two were just boys, Nathan is all man. I would know too, I got to be a part of that first hand last night." Rachel said with a smirk trying to piss them off even more.

Haley's stomach turned to knots hearing Rachel imply the she and Nathan had sex the night before.

None of the girls noticed that Nathan and Jake had walked in right after Rachel and were witnessing everything that was going down.

Nathan cut in before either of the three girls could say anything, "Rachel," Nathan said as she turned to him with her smirk still present on her face. "I have told you already, I will not sleep with you, and don't go around telling my family and friends that I did when I clearly didn't. I told you once and I'll tell you again, my heart is taken, now leave it be and stop telling people we were together." Nathan was clearly aggravated with her implications.

'face turned red, she so pissed off. All the girls smiled at Nathan as Rachel stormed out of the Cafe pissed, she yelled, "Whatever!"

They all started laughing at Rachel's reactions. Haley got the widest smile on her face at first that he didn't actually sleep with her, but it faded once she realized he said that his heart was taken and she didn't like the feeling she had in her stomach that it wasn't her.

Jake patted Nathan on the shoulder as Lucas watched everything from the kitchen.

"Whoo hoo! I think we might finally be rid of her!' Lucas yelled excited from the kitchen causing them all to chuckle.

"Nice going man, she totally believed you, when you said someone had your heart!" Jake said as he laughed. "As if that could happen, right Nate?" Jake continued.

Peyton got up and hugged Nathan and Brooke did the same, as Haley just watched from the counter trying not to be obvious that she was disappointed.

"Yeah, right." Nathan said looking down and walking to the counter. Only if they all knew it was true, they all wouldn't even believe it, Nathan thought as he got to the counter and looked up at Haley with a smile as she smiled back. Secretly wishing that she was the one to have his heart.


	2. Life Is Crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super short chapter, sorry about that. But it is a quicker update. I'm working on my Arrow fic too, so if you like that show, go check it out!

"Hales, can I ask you a question?" Lucas asked as they sat at one of the tables at the river court.

She looked up at him and smiled, "You just did."

He smirked and fake laughed, "Ha-ha Hales." He sat up more and looked at with a serious face. "Do you think I'm just being stupid with my feelings for Brooke?"

Haley sat up with shock on her face, "Lucas Scott, you did not just ask me that!" She turned to look him straight in the eye. "You love her, Luke. You have known that since we were 10, if not before that. Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Well, she knows how much I like her and yet she still keeps her walls up and every time I bring up 'us' she acts like I didn't say anything."

"Lucas, she knows you like her, not that you love her, you have only told me that. She has been through so much, more than you know, so she is so hesitant to let people in." Haley told him as sincere as she could while putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Just give her time, buddy. She will come around."

Lucas looked at her and smiled slightly, "Thanks Hales, it means a lot that I can come to you,"  
She smiled wide and wrapped her arm around him, "Best friends, Luke that will never change."

They shared a small smile and went back to watching the river, after a few minutes they could hear footsteps approaching them. When they turned around Haley was surprised and excited but concealed it with just a smile, Lucas on the other hand got happy to see the new comer and did a quick fist bump.

As Nathan walked to the court he saw two people sitting there and automatically knew who they both were. When he saw Haley his heart skipped a beat and he smiled wide. As he came up to them he gave his brother a fist bump and a smile to Haley.

"Hey, you two." What are you guys up too?" Nathan asked. He Knew his brother and Haley were best friends but still couldn't help that he was a little jealous of how much time they spent together.

Haley stood up next to Lucas and smiled at Nathan as Lucas answered him.  
"Just hanging out. The river is calming." He answered his brother with an embarrassed smile. "What about you, man?"

Nathan looked from Lucas to Haley, "I couldn't deal with Dan's nagging for any longer and needed an escape for a while. This is the best place to get my mind off things."

Haley reached between them and placed and comforting hand on Nathan's arm, "I'm sorry about him Nathan, you don't deserve that pressure. I thought he would have eased up a bit since he moved out."

"We all thought so Hales, too bad Dan never changes." He shrugged and then looked down at her hand still on his arm. He couldn't help but feel a slight electrical current run through his body from Haley's touch.

She felt a charge through her hand at the slight touch to Nathan and it made shivers run through her body. She slowly removed her hand and smiled up at him.

Lucas stepped in then, "Well, Hales I'm going to go see if I can find Brooke." He hugged Haley and then said his goodbyes to his best friend and brother.

After saying bye to Lucas, Nathan turned back to Haley and couldn't help but smile at how pretty she looked with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and her purple t-shirt and jeans.

“So, you gonna hang around with me for a while?" Nathan asked, flashing his signature smirk coming off a little cocky.

She smiled up at him and blushed at his smirk and lightly pushed his shoulder, "I guess if I have to." She smiled and went and sat on the table she was at before and watched him shoot around for a while as they shared some conversation.

When the ball bounced off the rim and flew towards Haley she suddenly ducked. "Trying to take my head off now? I see how it is Nate." She said teasing him as she jumped up and got the ball for him as he went to meet her to get his ball.

As she was about to hand him the ball he stepped right up to her and looked down into her beautiful brown eyes, the only thing between them being the ball.

She looked up at him as brown met piercing blue and they couldn't look away. It was like they were in their own world, just the two of them. Nathan looked this beautiful woman before him and slowly started to lean down to her, just centimeters apart.

Haley's mind was racing and she could see him leaning into her and she just leaned up to him.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Jake came driving his blue dodge pick-up towards the court and honked the horn. Nathan and Haley jumped back then separating and the ball falling between them.

In that moment, neither Nathan nor Haley knew what just almost happened, both happy it almost did, but concerned what the other would think of it.


	3. We Are Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie Night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my favorite chapter so far! I really hope you love it!

It had been three days since Nathan and Haley had almost kissed and neither one had talked to the other since then. But tonight was the group's' weekly Wednesday movie night, so their meeting was inevitable.

Haley couldn't get her mind off of Nathan at all the past few days. Being Haley, she was trying to analyze how and why it almost happened. Did he want it to happen? Was he just caught up in the moment? Was he just desperate? She knew she was just over thinking it all but couldn't stop thinking about it. She has wanted to kiss Nathan since she realized how much she was attracted to him in a way that she wasn't with Lucas.

As Haley was thinking about all this she was straightening up the entertainment room on the third story of their house. She just finished cleaning when she heard laughing from the living room on the main floor.

She took a few shaky deep breaths preparing herself to go downstairs with the rest of the group. 

She then looked down and realized she was in sweats. She quickly took off to her room to change so she looked presentable.

~!~!~!~!~!~!

Jake walked into the kitchen with Nathan and Lucas meeting Peyton and Brooke in there. The guys were laughing at something Lucas had said and the girls just smiled as they saw them walk in.

Peyton and Brooke quieted down their conversation about how close her and Jake were getting when the guys walked.

As their laughter died down Jake walked over to Peyton and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and leaned down and said, "Hey babe." After he said this he kissed her cheek and stood up straight keeping his arms around her.

It wasn't until he pulled back and looked at the look of confusion on Lucas' face that he realized he had just welcomed Peyton in a more than friendly way. He started to stutter as he tried to explain it. "I… we… Luke, this… Uh,"

Brooke and Peyton both sat there with their mouths dropped open shocked with his welcome as well. When he started to stutter, that's when they both broke into laughter.

Jake looked down at Peyton as she laughed, confused.

Brooke stood up and patted his shoulder with a smile as she stopped laughing, "Finally cuz!" she said with a smile and walked over to the fridge.

Lucas was still standing there confused when Nathan chuckled a little. Lucas shot him a dirty look and then turn back to Peyton and Jake.

Peyton finally spoke up to save Jake from explaining this to her cousin and his best friend.  
"Lucas, Jake and I have been hanging out in a more than 'just friends' type of way the past month. Please be OK with this, Luke, because I like him a lot." She said with hopeful smile. Jake wrapped his arms around her a little tighter to show his support to her and for them.

Lucas listened and softened from slightly upset and confused to happy for his cousin and best friend. "I'm happy for you both. You both deserve to happy and I don't see any better way than for it to be together." He walked up to them and hugged Peyton and did a fist bump with Jake.

Brooke made her way over to Peyton, Jake, and Lucas and hugged them both as well, being happy for them too.

~!~!~!~!~!

Nathan stood there watching it all happen with a smile on his face, happy for his cousin and best friend as well, but knowing this wasn't new news to him he didn't go in for happy moment with the others.

Nathan watched and saw the happiness for the new relationship and couldn't help but be jealous of them because he couldn't stop thinking about how much he wanted that with Haley.

Ever since the other day when he tried to kiss her and lost his chance when Jake pulled up he had been kicking his own ass. He wanted to kiss her for a long time, since about the time he met her when he was six and she was five. He has always known he had a thing for Haley James, but he knew she was too good for him and didn't want to get into hot water with Jake.

Nathan decided to take Brooke's lead and get a drink. He knew the pizza was on its way so he just grabbed a water. As he closed the fridge door, he saw her. She had just walked into the kitchen door way and saw the hugs breaking apart.

He smiled as soon as he saw her his. He wasn't sure how to approach her after the 'almost kiss' the other day so he just kind of kept back to himself for the moment.

~!~!~!~!~!~!

Haley walked into the kitchen and saw a hug ending and got curious to what she missed. Right as she was about to ask she saw Nathan standing the fridge and smiled a soft smile and blushed slightly. Before he could notice she turned back to their friends and stepped forward.

"Hey guys, what's with the love fest going on here?" Haley asked with a curious look in her eyes.

Peyton turned to Haley and smiled one of the biggest grins anyone had seen on Peyton in a long time. "Jake and I officially together!"

Haley's mouth dropped in shock, she knew Jake had a thing for Peyton but didn't know they had been seeing each other. Haley quickly recovered and smiled wide. "WOW! I'm so happy for you guys! This is awesome!" She went up and hugged Peyton and then turned to her brother and hugged him too. Only when she pulled away from Jake she knocked him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for? I thought you were happy for us?" Jake said as he rubbed the back of his head and looked at her with a very complex look.

Haley smiled and laughed, "I am happy for you, but that was for not telling me until now." She gave him a smug smile and giggled. "So how exactly did this all come to happen?"

As Peyton began to tell her how Jake had asked her out on a secret date over a month ago and how things had progressed since then till now when Jake slipped up, Haley kept casting slight glances over to Nathan who was watching calmly until the story was over.

~!~!~!~!~!

Timing was perfect, as soon as Peyton, with help from Jake, finished telling their story of them, the door bell rang indicating the pizza was finally there and they could head upstairs to watch their movies for the night.

Haley went over to answer the door with Nathan hot on her tail following her. When she opened the door to the pizza guy and greeted them, she happily took the 3 large pizzas and order of bread sticks. She was about to hand the guy her money when Nathan jumped in.

"Here I got it." Nathan said. Haley thought he meant the pizza and was going to hand it to him when he pushed gently in front of her and handed the delivery boy a hundred dollar bill and thanked him politely. He then closed the door and turned to her and grabbed the top two boxes and the bread sticks from her with a smile. "Kitchen or entertainment room?" he said with a smile.

"Nathan you didn't have to do that." Haley insisted.

"Its OK Hales, I didn't mind." He said with a grin as he looked at her perplexed face. "So, kitchen or entertainment room?" he asked again trying to bring her to the now and not the 20 seconds ago.

"Um, kitchen." She said shaking her head and smiling back to him. She took the lead and headed in there with him right behind her again.

~!~!~!~!~!~!

 

After coming to the conclusion that the pizza would be better kept upstairs while they watched their movies, they watched the chick flick first so that they guys would stay awake long enough to watch their action movie after it.

They sat with Peyton and Jake on the first level couch, confused when Lucas and Brooke or someone else didn't take the lazy-e-boys on each side of the couch but instead when to the second level couch to cuddle up. Normally someone would take one of the lazy-e-boys off to the sides of that couch as well but not tonight. When Nathan walked into the room last, he saw the four of them coupled off on the first two level couches, as he looked up to the third level he saw Haley half laying down half sitting up on that couch. He decided this could be his shot to explain the other day and maybe finally do what he has wanted to do since he was a boy, kiss Haley James.

When Nathan sat beside Haley she became slightly giddy. Thinking that maybe she would be able to talk to him about what almost happen the other day.

They were both about to start talking when Brooke hit play on the movie and it became silent. 

Both being disappointed they lost their chance to talk, they just made themselves comfortable.

Haley cried in all the sweet, sad, and sentimental parts. She leaned into Nathan when those happened, which was about ¾ of the movie. Nathan gladly opened his arms to her. Not fully sure why she was crying because he only paid attention for 10 percent of the whole movie, but he was glad it was him that she felt comfortable enough to cry to when she needed it.

When that ended and Jake put in the boys action movie, Nathan knew it was time they talk. The movie was loud enough that they could have their own conversation in the back of the room without disturbing their friends.

When Haley turned to him with a disgusted look on her face he couldn't help but laugh. "Whats with the face?" he asked as he continued to chuckle.

"This movie is gross and stupid, I hate my brother for picking this." She said in a server tone of disgust that matched the look on her face.

Nathan held back a few more chuckles as he turned so they were looking at each other. "Then lets get your mind off the movie." He said in a slightly suggestive tone, not meaning for it come out sounding like that but it happening anyway.

Haley giggle slightly and leaned towards him, "Oh, and do what?" she said mirroring his tone.

This through Nathan off a little bit but he recovered fast. He smiled and said, "I was actually hoping to talk."

Haley smiled, figuring he was joking before and she just played along she went back to normal and smiled back at him. She knew what she wanted to talk to him about but not the other way around, this peeked her curiosity.

"Sure! What do you want to talk about?" She asked in a curious tone with a her smile still in place.

Nathan smiled back at her, he couldn't help it that her smile was so beautiful you just needed to smile along with her. "Um,…" he started but didn't know how to actually bring up the almost kiss.   
"well, I actually want to know how you feel about the other day…?"

This through Haley for a loop, she did not expect him to being this up in a million years. She figured she would play it safe and make sure. "You mean at the river court on Sunday?"

Nathan looked at with a 'duh' expression on his face that made Haley laugh and gently push his shoulder. "Yes, Hales. At the river court. How do you feel about it?"

She turned from joking to serious. "I don't know, Nathan. What exactly almost happened because I think what I think and what actually happened are two different things."

Nathan looked at her confused, "We almost kissed Hales!" he said a little too loudly for her comfort, although no one seemed to notice.

She was stunned, "Oh…. I guess the two are the same then." She said with a look of sudden realization on her face. "What do you feel about it?"

He laughed to himself and reached out and grabbed her hands, both noticing the electricity that went through them at the touch. "I'd do it again if I could, and I would actually follow through with it this time."

Once again Haley was thrown for a loop. To say shocked was what she felt was an understatement. She sat there for a few seconds thinking what he said through. She knew he needed a reply soon or he would take her silence as a bad thing, she knew Nathan well enough to know how his brain worked.

With a sudden confidence boost at the thought of actually kissing Nathan Scott, she sat up and smiled. "Well, why don't you follow through this time?" she said leaning into him slightly.

He grinned, he did not need to be told twice. He leaned into her as she did the same and their lips met in a soft kiss that literally stole each of their breath away with the electric shock that hit them again. As Haley leaned more into Nathan he started to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly they both jumped back at the sound of Brooke's yell, "OH MY GOD!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know, I suck. But this is the longest chapter yet so you got a treat there, especially after my last chapter being so short, but I had to set up for this some way and didn't want to drag it out forever. But I left you guys with your first cliffhanger! Hmmm, wonder what is going to happen next!


	4. Decisions and Tricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, life got crazy, but both my stories will be updated soon and another one may be well on its way.

Previously~~~

With a sudden confidence boost at the thought of actually kissing Nathan Scott, she sat up and smiled. "Well, why don't you follow through this time?" she said leaning into him slightly.

He grinned, he did not need to be told twice. He leaned into her as she did the same and their lips met in a soft kiss that literally stole each of their breath away with the electric shock that hit them again. As Haley leaned more into Nathan he started to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly they both jumped back at the sound of Brooke's yell, "OH MY GOD!"

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Nathan and Haley pulled apart like they had just been struck by lightning at the sound of Brooke's shriek. They both pushed themselves away from each other a bit more than intended but were so spooked they couldn't think of what else to do but separate and fast.

Brooke suddenly shot up and turned on the lights as fast as she could and grabbed the remote to stop the movie.

Both Nathan and Haley were mentally preparing to get chewed out by Brooke, thinking they just got caught in the act and they both were shaking with nerves.

"Lucas! We cannot watch any more of this movie! This is disgusting and scary! Why would you pick this?!" Brooke exclaimed at almost a strikingly loud volume. She was still standing so every one's eyes were on her as she had her little outburst.

Lucas then stood up and walked over to her, "Cheery, you weren't even watching it, your head was in my shoulder almost the whole time." He said to her with a chuckle.

Brooke pushed Lucas away from her and gave him a pout, "Lucas, this is not funny! That movie is not acceptable for movie night!" She let out in a huff.

"Come on Brookie, it wasn't that bad. I mean it was pretty bad, but it wasn't the worse movie the guys have picked." Peyton said trying to get Brooke off dramatics.

Brooke ignored Peyton and turned to Lucas again, "Can we please watch something else, Broody?" She said as innocently as she could.

When Lucas hesitated, Brooke turned to Haley and whined to her next, "Haaallleyyyy," she whined in the most drawn out and dramatic way she could manage. "Please agree with me on this, Hales! We need to watch something else, right?"

Haley wasn't sure what to say, she hadn't paid attention for almost the whole movie, she was a bit preoccupied with Nathan, not that she was going to let Brooke know that. Haley thought fast on her feet and joined Brooke.

"I'm completely with Brooke, that movie was gross! Come on guys, let's put something happier on now. Please?" Haley said standing up next to Brooke and wrapping her arm around her shoulders in a side hug.

The next moment Jake and Lucas both let out a loud groan of annoyance. They knew Haley and Brooke teaming together on something meant it would happen, they couldn't even argue it, they learned that a long time ago.

Haley and Brooke giggled at the guy's simultaneous response. "So what do you say Brookie, a few Friends episodes to lighten the mood?" Haley said with a quirk of her eye brow and a smile.

Brooke started to clap her hands and jump up and down, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Hales, you just know me so well!"

Haley, along with the rest of the group, laughed at Brooke's reaction to one of her favorite TV shows to lighten the mood. No one would argue though, they all adored the show.

Haley then turned to look at Nathan who was still just sitting there watching everything happen, his heart rate had just dropped back to a normal rate, he was sure Brooke had just caught him kissing her cousin and he thought he was screwed, and not in the good way.

Haley spoke then catching his attention, "Hey Nate! What do you say to helping me take out all the plates and pizza and then helping me get the Friends DVD's down, I can't reach them and your tall!" She said with a playful grin to him, hoping she played it off as just friendly. Secretly she wanted to just get him out of the room so they could talk about what had happened just seconds before Brooke's little outburst.

Nathan jumped up quickly, "Sure thing Hales! We all know you are too short to reach most things so I am happy to help." He said, sending her his trademark smirk.

"Shut up! Even though its kind of true, shut up." She said lightly smacking his shoulder as he leaned down to grab the plates and cups everywhere around the room as Haley picked up the pizza boxes.

They all laughed at the 'Naley' banter, as Brooke liked to call it. Everyone then got into their own side conversations as Nathan and Haley left the room to back to the kitchen to dispose of the trash in their hands.

Haley made sure to close the theater room door as they walked out so once they reached the kitchen and have thrown away the trash, Haley grabbed Nathans hand and pulled him back up the stairs as fast as she could and rushed them to her room so they could talk before any one got suspicious.

Nathan wasn't expecting to be rushed upstairs, but he wasn't complaining, a few minutes of alone time with Haley had his head getting foggy with excitement. As they reached her room and she pulled him in and closed the door quietly, he took advantage of the situation and turned her around and pushed her gently against the closed door. He leaned into her and pressed his lips into her and kissed her with everything he has in him.

Haley was take back by his sudden attack of the lips, but she wasn't going to complain, his lips on hers felt so right, not including the shock she felt down her spine as their lips touched. She enjoyed every second their kiss went on.

After a few minutes of hard core make out between the two, air started to become an issue and they pulled apart, leaning their foreheads against each other's. Both with their eyes still closed and both smiling wider than either ever had before, they were happy.

It was Haley who opened her eyes and spoke first, "Wow! That isn't why I brought you in here but I am not complaining." She said with a small laugh as she continued to smile. She leaned up and gave him a quick peck kiss on the lips before he laughed a breathy laugh and opened his eyes and pushed back from her body a little bit to get a better look at her.

"We need to talk, Nathan." She said as she looked up into those intense blue eyes she had loved for so long.

"About what, Hales?" he said with a smirk.

"You know what, Nathan! This!" She said as she made a small hand motion between the two of them, which still wasn't much of a distance. "What happened during the movie and what just happened here? What was that Nathan?"

He smiled at her and took one of her hands in his and put it against his chest, right where his heart would be. "You feel that Hales? My heart races when I'm with you, it has since we were six, and it still does now to this day. So what do you want me say Haley? You want me to say this didn't mean anything? If you do, I can't do that, because it wasn't nothing to me."

She looked up at him in such surprise but adoration. She didn't know she could like Nathan any more than she already did, but he just proved that statement wrong. With her hand still over his heart and in his hand, she pushed up on her tip toes and kissed his lips once more softly.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

Brooke and Lucas sat there talking about her new clothing line that only the 6 people at the house tonight knew about her starting.

Peyton and Jake sat behind them making-out heavily. Something Lucas had to keep reminding himself not to look back on, because he did not want to see his cousin and best friend sucking each other's faces off right now, or ever.

After about 5 minutes, Lucas piped up about Nathan and Haley, "What is taking them so long to get the DVD's?"

"They are probably making-out on the kitchen counter right now, you know, the usual." Brooke said very nonchalantly.

Peyton and Jake immediately broke apart at the same time Lucas started to almost choke on the drink he had just sipped.

Brooke burst out laughing at that moment, not being able to control herself, she was holding her stomach she was laughing so hard.

"That is so not funny, Pretty Girl!" Lucas said in a scolding tone.

"Seriously, Brooke, don't say that again! Haley and Nathan? Please!" Jake said with a stern look on his face.

"I was just kidding! Jeez Jakey! Take a chill pill!" She said her laughter subsiding. "They would be cute together, you have to admit. Who knows, your moms have had their wedding planned since they were like 5, maybe it will happen." Brooke said directing her comment to Lucas and Jake.

They both gave her their most unamused looks that they could give her.

"Ok, fine! I'll stop." She took a deep breath looking at Peyton who was giggling at her but also nodding at the possibility of a real Naley relationship happening. They both shrugged at each other. They all sat in silence for another 2 minutes before Brooke stood up in a huff, "I'm going to go find them."

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

"I don't want this to be nothing, Nathan. I most definitely want this to be something." She said with a smile on her features which grew when he grinned from ear to ear at her response. "So where do we go from here?" She asked him with concern in her eyes.

"I think we should ease our friends into this, maybe we can just subtly get closer and act more coupley together and then once they all assume we are together, we finally tell them." He said with a sly smirk. "You do want to be together, right?"

Haley smiled at him and nodded her head. "What happens if they start guessing and asking questions?"

"I think we should toy with them, make it seem like nothing is going on and you don't see any changed between us, that way when we finally tell them, they can be as surprised as I was when   
Brooke scream during the movie." He said with a laugh.

She joined him in her laughter and he pulled her closer to him. "What do you think Hales, am I genius with my idea?" he said with a smirk.

"You're a genius with something!" she replied in her easily sarcastic tone and gave him a quick squeeze, wrapping her arms around him to hold him there for a minute longer.

"Oh, well aren't you funny tonight." He smiled at her as he released her and then lifted her chin up to look him in the eyes, "So, Haley James, will you be my girlfriend?" he said in as cheesy of a way as he could.

She loved is cheesy grin and she gave it right back, "Yes, Nathan Scott, I will be your girlfriend."

They leaned in for one more soft kiss. As soon as they kiss started getting deeper they heard Brooke start yelling and they broke apart.

"HALEY! WHERE ARE YOU WITH MY CHEER UP SHOW?!" Brooke yelled to her from outside the door.

Nathan quickly grabbed the seasons of Friends and opened the door to an annoyed looking Brooke Davis. "Right here Brooke! Jeez do you have yell about everything? I think I am going deaf from your loudness."

Brooke took the DVD's from Nathan and stuck her tongue out at him and skipped back to the theater room.

Nathan stepped back into Haley's room to see her cheeks beat red, he chuckled at her and took her hand in his. "Come on beautiful, let's go back to our friends before we get caught making-out for real." He said as he kissed her cheek and entwined their fingers turning off the light as they made their way down the hall. Letting each other's hand go as soon as they reached the door, as to not raise suspicion from their friends. They sat down where they did before just as Brooke started the first episode on the disk, they sent each other a smirk, knowing how fun their arrangement was going to be. Nathan winked at Haley and she smiled leaning her head on his shoulder and they all began watching the show.


	5. Secrets and Speculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan and Haley continue to tease their friends with subtle hints towards them being together and Brooke is suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was gone for so long, updating again now!

It was now Saturday afternoon and their group was sitting in the café talking and hanging out, waiting to each lunch. It had been three days since Nathan and Haley had started their relationship and had also begun to subtly act more forward to each other around their friends.

Lucas and Jake had seen it but you could tell were choosing to ignore it or were both just too stubborn to believe it. Brooke and Peyton, on the other hand, were beginning to notice and it was confusing them both more than anything. No one had said anything to Nathan or Haley about it, at least not yet.

They haven't been doing too much to get their friends attention yet, but it was the little things like Nathan subtly putting his hand on Haley's lower back as he walked with her to her classes every morning, that they were starting off with. This usually wouldn't be too out of sorts because Nathan always walked Haley to her classes in the morning, and usually would jokingly put his arm around her but never for more than a few seconds before he put it back to his side. So when this happened both Thursday and Friday mornings out in the open for Brooke to see, she was completely taken aback by the action, even more so when she saw Haley didn't push him away for it.

They were only doing a few other things like sitting a lot closer together at their lunch table in the quad, Haley putting Nathan’s jersey number on her cheek at last night's basketball game instead of just an 'R' for ravens, and Nathan picking up and carrying Haley's bag before and after school for her, they were the subtle differences that they had started with. It wasn't until this morning when Brookes interest in it all hit a new high and she had been watching them both like a hawk ever since.

When Nathan had shown up at the house this morning to pick up Brooke and Haley to go to the café to meet up with Peyton, Jake, and Lucas who were at the river court early shooting hoops, Nathan greeted Haley in a bit of a different way than he had anyone else, in almost forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nathan pulled up the driveway in his black pickup truck to pick up Brooke and Haley. He had a bit of a giddy feeling in his stomach, he had felt this way each morning since he and Haley had made their relationship official, all he could think about was her and every time he was about to see her he got even more excited.

He quickly straightened out his shorts which were wrinkled from his short drive and walked up the pathway to the front door of the James' huge house. He automatically went for the doorknob, turning it to open the door, they had all been friends forever, it was normal to just walk in, it would have been weird if he had knocked.

As he walked in the house he wandered into the kitchen and reached into the fridge and pulled out a Gatorade that he knew Mrs. James kept in there just for Jake, Luke, and himself. He took a huge swig of it before putting the cap back on and he started to wander around the house. It was too quiet for what he was used to when he was in this house. He went through the entire first story of the house not finding anyone, even Mrs. James wasn't home this morning.

He got bored of looking downstairs and decided to go up to the second floor where all of the bedrooms were. He knew that it was pointless to check her parent's room, they would never be in there, and he avoided all of the empty bedrooms that used to belong to their older siblings, who were all long gone living their life in college or starting their own families. He finally got in front of the door to the room he knew all too well, Haley's bedroom. He smiled to himself as his butterflies returned, he lifted his hand to knock 3 quick knocks before he just turned the knob and walked in.  
Seeing Haley laying on her stomach on her bed reading a book with her headphones in made a wide smile spread across his face. He closed the door and took a few short steps towards her before kneeling down and kissing her cheek quickly, something that made her jump before she smiled at who was surprising her with a kiss. 

He pulled back then and pulled one of her headphones out of her ear before he smiled at her and said, "Hey beautiful."

She smiled brightly at him and just responded with a, "Hey, you!"

At that moment Brooke walked out the bathroom that was adjoined to Haley's bedroom, she had heard Nathan say hey beautiful to her cousin and she was in shock, she didn't know what to think. 

After Haley just responded with hey you, Brooke decided to let her presence be known.

"Hey, you two!" Brooke said in her typical chipper manner.

Nathan stood up from his crouched position beside Haley and said in his most nonchalant way, "Hey, Brooke." Like what he had just said to Haley was normal and no big deal. He had hoped   
Brooke didn't see him kiss Haley first, he figured Brooke would have flipped on him at first glance if she has seen that.

Haley took out her other headphone and put them inside her book before closing it and sitting up on her bed. She looked up, glancing between Brooke and Nathan, whom at the moment looked to be having a small stare down.

She decided it was probably best to speak, break apart whatever they were staring at each other about. "So are we all ready to go? Peyton texted me and said to meet there at 11:30."

Both Nathan and Brooke turned to Haley when she spoke and smiled politely at her.

"Yeah, let me just go get my purse from my room and we can go," Brooke said in her chipper tone again, leaving Haley's room to head to her own, but not before giving Nathan another untrustworthy glance.

Haley laughed at the look Brooke had shot Nathan and he just chuckled under his breath before shaking his head.

"What was that about?" She asked as she stood up and walked to him wrapping her arms around his torso hugging him close to her.

He smiled into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her as well and hugging her back. Whilst still holding her he said, "I think Brooke heard me call you beautiful. I think our plan is working." He smirked down at her as they pulled back from each other.

She grinned up at him and nodded, "I think it is too, Peyton asked me last night after the game why you were carrying my bag again. I think we are doing everything just right."

He continued to smirk down at her, "Well, Haley James, you have a bit of a sneaky evil side to you. It's pretty sexy, you know that?"

She smiled up at him in a slightly seductive way, "Oh baby, you haven't even seen my A game." She said and suggestively raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well if that is true, once this is over with, we may have to stay away from our friends, because I'm going to be all over your sexy ass for a while. And I know that is something Luke and Jake will not want to see." He said as he laughed.

She pulled back and slapped his shoulder as she blushed at his words. "Nathan, stop it."

He smiled at her blush, he loved how modest she was. He always had known that she never believed her own beauty, but he saw it, every day, and he was determined that he would spend the rest of his life making sure it was always said and that she knew what he saw.

She heard Brookes door close from down the hall and quickly looked up to him, "Let's have some fun with this." She said quietly and winked at him before jumping on her tip toes and pecking his lips with a fast kiss before backing up and grabbing her own purse just as Brooke walked back in.

Nathan had a mysterious grin on his face at Haley's words and then turned to Brooke as he just smiled a normal smile at her. "You finally ready, Davis?"

Brooke scoffed at him and then nodded, "Yup! Now we can go, I look perfect!" She said with a happy grin.

Haley just laughed at them and said, "Ok, let's go."

Brooke bounced out of Haley's room and made it downstairs before the other two, she grabbed two bottled waters for herself and Haley. She met them at the front door and handed Haley one of the waters.

Nathan then opened the front door and looked directly at Haley and said, "After you, beautiful." He smiled at her as she laughed to herself and walked out toward his truck. He turned to Brooke then, "You too, Brooke." He said to her as she just gave him a look of surprise at his words, or well word, to Haley.

She walked out with Nathan following behind them both and getting into his truck, Brooke hopping in the back.

The entire ride to the café she had been watching them super closely and she was assured that something else was going on, but the whole ride had been normal, besides Nathan calling Haley beautiful a few more times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since arriving at the café Brooke had almost all her attention on watching Nathan and Haley, she knew there was something different, she had suspected so ever since they came back into the theater room Wednesday night. But after Nathan’s new nickname for her cousin, she was so in the zone of watching what they were doing, that she hadn't even been paying attention for the last 45 minutes they had been at the café. She was finally brought out of her 'Naley' induced haze by Peyton.

"Brooke… Brookie… BROOKE DAVIS!" Peyton snapped her finger in front of Brooke's face the last time which caused Brooke to jump and focus on her.

"What?" she said as she put her full attention on Peyton.

"What is going through that pretty head of yours, B. Davis? You have been zoned out since we got here. What's up?" Peyton said looking at her friend with concern laced with confusion.

Brooke turned her head over to look at Nathan and Haley who were sitting in a booth talking with Lucas and then turning back to Peyton.

"I'm not sure, but I think there is something going on with Nathan and Haley. They have been acting so, I don't know, closer than usual, the past few days." Brooke looked at Peyton, expecting a look of shock and then laughter. When that reaction didn't come, she continued, "Are you not going to tell me I'm crazy?" She said as she looked at her best friend expectantly.

Peyton took a deep breath and looked over to the 'couple' in question and then back to Brooke, "For once Brooke, I might actually agree with your crazy theory. Last night I noticed them acting differently to each other. When I asked Jake if he noticed he just laughed it off and told me I was reading into nothing."

"Peyton, he was calling her beautiful all morning. And not in the compliment way, in the nickname type of way. Which, yes is a compliment, but you know what I mean." Brooke said taking a breath.

"Weird…" Peyton said as she trailed off her words, thinking about it. "I guess we just keep an eye out for any more changes. I think they are hiding something from us."

"I am right there with you Blondie, with both of us watching them, we are bound to figure them out!" Brooke said enthusiastically.

"Slow down Brookie, we can't get all secret spy on them like you have been doing all morning, very poorly might I add. We need to just observe from a distance and not let them know we are paying attention."

Brooke thought about it and nodded, "Was I really being that creepy about it?" Brooke asked, changing the subject a little bit, but genuinely concerned because she did not want to look creepy, she looked too good today to be creepy.

Peyton just laughed at her and wrapped her arm around Brooke's shoulders, "It’s ok Brookie, I got to you before it became too much of a creep factor."

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

After they ate lunch, then went down to the river court and just hung out. The boys playing basketball and the girls gossiping and cheering the boys on.

It was now late in the evening and they had gone their separate ways, Jake and Peyton went to Peyton's house to just be together. Brooke and Lucas doing the same but to Lucas and Nathan’s house, those two claiming they needed to talk and figure out what they were doing, which was true, but it was also Brooke and Lucas, meaning they would talk and then have sex, or have sex, talk, and then have sex again, those two were unstoppable. 

Nathan had claimed he was going to stick around the river court while Haley went home, in reality, about 5 minutes after everyone dispersed, Nathan hopped in his truck and drove to where Haley had walked to and picked her up and they both headed to her house.

The group had decided that since it was a Saturday night, they were going to go Tric and have a fun night out, but that wasn't until 9 PM and it was only 6 PM now.

As Haley walked around her room trying to find something sexy but not too sexy for Tric tonight, Nathan just sat perched on her bed watching her, as amused as he could be. She seemed to be thinking about this outfit for tonight way too hard and he had had enough.

He stood up from the bed, without her even hearing him, she was too distracted by the top in her hand, he made his way behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her into him and resting his chin against her shoulder.

"Baby, stop fussing with your clothes. No matter what you wear you are going to look sexy." He said in a reassuring voice as he moved his chin so he could kiss her shoulder a few times before putting his chin back in that spot.

"HA! Yeah right, Nathan. You’re saying, that if I went in this," Motioning to her short black cotton shorts, and spaghetti strap tank she was currently wearing, "That I would still look acceptable and sexy?" She voiced in a disgusted tone.

Nathan reached in front of her and took the shirt that was in her grasp, and threw it behind him. He then pulled back from her and turned her around so they were face to face. He had a very serious and stern look upon his face and any retaliation she had had at him throwing her shirt disappeared from her lips.

"Haley James, you are the sexiest girl I have ever seen. What you have on is just as sexy as if you were wearing some skin tight black dress. No matter what you wear, or don't wear," he said raising his eyebrows a few times as he joked, "You are the sexiest girl in the world. Don't doubt that, Hales."

She smiled up into his eyes, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks as her eyes filled with happy tears at his words. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her as she brought his lips down onto hers.

She kissed him with so much passion and, what was that feeling she had deep inside of her, it couldn't be love, it was too soon. But her mind and heart were both screaming at her that this is what love should feel like. She wouldn't tell him that, it was WAY too soon, but it didn't stop her from feeling and thinking it.

He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her lower back and pulling her flush up against his body as he began to deepen their kiss. He ran his tongue along her lower lip, begging for entrance, something to which she granted easily.

As they continued to kiss he backed them up towards her bed and turned them so he could lay her down, never once breaking their intense make-out. As she laid down, he pushed them up onto the bed a bit better and hovered over her kissing her like it was all he knew. His hand traveled down to her hip and just stayed there, slightly gripping it every time he would hear her moan from their kisses. She gripped tightly onto his shoulders and held him in place.

After what felt like a lifetime of making out, which was only about 10 or 15 minutes, they broke apart needing to catch up with themselves, they remained in their position, just holding onto each other, not wanting to separate.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. In that moment she realized that she could feel how hard he had gotten from their little make-out session and she turned bright red. She looked down in between them as best she could and then back up to meet his eyes, which were intently looking back into hers.

"I'm so sorry Nathan! I am such a tease. We just spent all that time doing that and you end up with that." She says motioning with her eyes down to where his bulge was through his jeans.

He laughed and pulled back so he was sitting up on the bed but still facing her and as close to her as he could be with their different positions.

"Haley, this," making a hand wave between the two of them, "us, it isn't about sex with me. It is about you, and me, and being together."

"You say that, but Nathan, THAT happened." She said as she pointed to where is hard on was.

He laughed again, "Hales, that is normal, I'm a guy. I'm a guy with a gorgeous girlfriend, who I like to make-out with, and look at. This is bound to happen a lot more often. You are not a tease, Hales. Trust me."

She sat up after he said what he had and she tucked her legs under her body and just looked into his eyes. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. So she leaned in and kissed his lips lightly, lingering on them, and enjoying the little electrical shocks she felt from their contact.

"Thank you." She said as she pulled back from their kiss and just smiled at him.

"You have nothing to thank me for, beautiful. It's only the truth." He replied with a genuine smile right back to her. "Now what do you say to a little Mac and Cheese and Mint Chip ice cream while we hang out until we have to actually get ready for tonight?" He suggested, knowing she could never turn down Mac and Cheese and Mint Chip ice cream.

She shot up from the bed and was on her feet in the blink of an eye, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of her room and down to the kitchen. "What are we waiting for?" She asks in a rhetorical way as they both laughed and made their way to enjoy their time together before their group got together to go to Tric.

They may have to be keeping this a secret for right now, but neither minded for the time being. They got to spend time with each other, make-out, be in a relationship, and still mess with their respective friends and family. It was fun and good hearted, they just enjoyed being this way. At least for now, they did.


	6. Somewhere Only We Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night out, Sunday is for reconvening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I have been away for so long, I kind of gave up on this story but I have received a lot of great feedback requesting this to be continued so I decided to keep going. Thank you for all the love! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

It was now midday on Sunday, their group had all met up at Tric the night before and danced and drank and had as much fun as they could. Luckily for Nathan and Haley, dancing close was normal at the club and didn't get questioned every time they would get almost too close on the dance floor. Drinks were served, dances were taken, games were played, and fun was had.

They had all slept in till almost noon and had agreed to meet up at the café around 1 PM so that they could all have a big homemade breakfast and hopefully lose the crappy feelings they all woke up to. After meeting up and eating that morning, they had all gone their separate ways. Nathan to go visit Dan who was hounding him to come see him since he moved out. Peyton and Jake to Peyton's house to go see her dad who was back in town for about a week. Brooke had gone home, well Haley and Jake's house since being at her own house was like witnessing a war between her feuding parents, to draw some more clothing designs. And Lucas and Haley had gone to their spot, just like they did almost every Sunday afternoon.

There they were, perched up on the roof of the café and just watching over their little hometown. Around them was a mini-golf course that they had built all on their own over the past few years. Everyone knew that they would go up to the roof every so often but none of them had any idea how much time those two actually spent up there together or that they had created their own hideaway equipped with their own personal golf course on top. Well, Karen knew, but they had no choice but to tell her, it was her café, but she kept their secret well and never let anyone up there but them.

Haley and Lucas had been the best of friends since either of them can remember. It was always the two of them against the world. Brooke, Peyton, Nathan, and Jake were all considered best friends as well to the two of them, but there was always a different bond between Lucas and Haley. They had connected through books, through school, teasing Nathan as kids, and going off in their own little imaginary worlds together where no one could get in to.

Today had been a day just like every other Sunday, except today Haley had something weighing on her mind that was eating away at her to tell her best friend. She hated keeping secrets in general, but keeping something from your best friend was way worse to Haley. As much as she loved Nathan and being with him, and their little game to trick their friends, Haley was having a hard time not talking to Lucas about everything that was going through her mind.

As they sat up on the roof in silence, just enjoying being in each other's company, Haley finally had to speak up.

"Luke, I have to tell you something. And with the fact that you are my best friend, I feel I need to be honest with you for the sake of full friendship disclosure." She said as she took a deep breath and turned to face him.

"Ohhh Kay…" he said with a bit of reserve, not knowing where this was going at all.

"I know this is going to come as a surprise to you, it did to me too, but like you always say, you can't help who you like…" she looked down, trying to get the nerve to say more.

Lucas began to grow a bit worried, he didn't like what he was hearing and she had barely said anything at all yet.

"Haley, what is it? You can tell me."

She looked back up into his eyes, "I have been seeing someone Luke, and it is someone that I don't think you will agree with me to be with or anything of the sort. But I do really like him and I am being careful." So she wasn't completely honest, she didn't give him a name, but it was the best she could do with being honest with her best friend and still keeping up the game with Nathan, which she was finding to be way too much fun.

Lucas took a deep breath and turned his head back out to look at the town as he processed her words.

Haley took a deep breath as well, trying to figure out what was going on in Lucas's head. He hadn't said anything and she needed him to. After about two minutes of silence, just as she was about to speak again, he turned back to her.

He studied her worried expression for another minute before he finally spoke.

"Can I ask who it is…?" He asked hesitantly.

She shook her head no at his question.

He let out an, almost frustrated, sigh. He didn't think he would get a name out of her, not by the way she explained their relationship.

"Are you happy, Hales?" he asked her as he looked back up at her to meet her eyes.

This time she nodded and smiled. At the way she smiled, he knew he was being honest with him. Haley was almost always an open book to him, rather by the words she said or the expressions written all over her face or in her eyes. Lucas knew her better than almost anyone in the world.

He took another moment before he spoke again, this time with the broody little half smile he does, "As long as you are happy, Haley, that's all I care about."

She smiled wide at him and leaned forward, engulfing her best friend in a bone-crushing hug. One of which he returned happily.

Once they pulled away, he put on a serious expression and said in a very stern tone, "If this guy, whoever he is, ever hurts you, you better tell me because I will kick his ass into next Tuesday. You understand me, Hales?"

She smiled at him and took his hand gently in hers and gave it a squeeze, "I will, Lucas. I promise."

He squeezed her hand back and smiled at her.

"Can you at least tell me about him, without naming names?" He asked her, actually very curious about a guy who no one seemed to know about yet.

She laughed and nodded, "He is very handsome. He is upper sweet yet he doesn't let many people see that side of him. He will do anything for the people he loves and protects them no matter what. He knows how to make me smile and make me feel like I am the only girl in the world when we are together. He calls me beautiful and makes sure I know I am, all the time."

She told all of this to Luke, just letting it all out, happy to be able to talk to her best friend about Nathan without Lucas actually knowing it was Nathan they were discussing. She hoped that maybe talking him up like this would help them out once they finally did let the truth be known to their friends. It wasn't much to tell but her last statement would happen to be the one thing that he picked up on the most and the one thing that would stick in his mind, he just didn't know it yet.

"Hales, you are beautiful. You always have been and you get even more beautiful as we grow up." He smiled at her, complimenting his best friend.

She smiled at him, grateful. "Thanks, Luke, but you don't have to say that stuff to me. It probably makes you feel a bit awkward." She laughed at the face he made at her and then he laughed too.

"I love you, Hales. No matter what, it's you and me against the world, best friends through thick and thin." He said as he nudged her playfully with a genuine smile on his face.

"I love you too, Luke, you really are my best friend. I wouldn't know what to do without you." She grinned at him.

She stood up then and walked over to the wall and grabbed two putters, "What do you say to one game before the sun goes down?" She said with a smirk.

"Sounds good, Hales. Just be ready to lose!" He said with a joking smile as he took one of the putters from her.

"HA! Yeah, like that could ever happen!" She said with a sarcastic laugh and made her way over to the first hole, setting her ball down and swinging her putter making a hole-in-one.

He smirked that Scott smirk he and his brother had and went up next to her shaking his head, "And so it begins!" He said as he set his ball down getting ready to swing.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Later that night when Haley had finally gotten home after her evening with Lucas, she had gone straight up to her room, to shower and get ready for bed so she could be well rested for school the next day.

When she walked into her room she nearly jumped out of her skin. The last thing she had expected to see when she entered her room was Nathan, passed out on her bed.

"Ahhh!" She yelled at the shock of seeing him on her bed.

"What? What is it?!" He said as he shot up from her bed at her almost scream, looking around to see if there was a problem.

She quickly put her hand over her rapidly beating heart and her other hand to put a finger to her lips and shushing him.

Just as she did that, Jake came running out of his room kiddy-corner to hers.

"What is it, Hales? Everything ok?" He asked, worried something had happened to her when he heard her slight scream.

She stepped out of her room almost closing the door.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Sorry, you had to run out here Jakey. I just saw a really big spider as soon as I turned on my light and it spooked me. I killed it, don't worry." She rushed the words out, hoping it wasn't obvious she had just lied to his face.

He took a deep breath of relief. "Oh good, don't scare me like that again, Hales. I almost came out here with my bat."

She laughed at him and patted his shoulder, "I promise I won't scream again unless I'm being attacked or can't kill the bug myself next time, make it worth your while." She winked at him and laughed. "Now I'm off to shower, you might want to go away now."

"Ew, yeah, I'm going back to bed. Night Haley-bob." He smiled at her and kissed her cheek goodnight giving her a small hug.

"Goodnight night Jakey." She returned his hug and then went back to her room closing the door tight and locking it.

When she turned back around she noticed Nathan was completely passed out again. She decided not to bother him yet and just take her shower as she intended to.

After her long, relaxing shower, she dried off and put on some short black cotton Ravens cheer shorts and a spaghetti strap tank top before throwing her hair up in a messy and damp bun. She exited her bathroom to see Nathan still crashed on her bed, in the same position as when she came back in almost 45 minutes prior.

She made her way over towards him and softly said his name, "Nathan, babe wake up. You have to move." When he didn't move she tried another way and just pushed him. The hard push causing him to groan and slowly open his eyes. "There you are, Sleeping Beauty." She teased him as she sat up.

"What time is it?" He asked in a groggy groaning voice.

She almost laughed at his voice, it was sexy that was for sure. "It's 9:47, babe. How long have you been here?"

He groaned again and took a deep breath. "Since about 7:20… Dan pissed me off on our run so I sprinted ahead taking a detour to lose him and then ran straight here. I saw you were still gone so I just came up here and fell asleep, my body is so tired and sore, Hales. He is such an ass…" He trailed off, she knew he was talking about Dan and knew when not to push him.

She felt bad for him, she has always seen how hard Dan pushed Nathan but now that Dan and Karen had officially gotten their divorce and Dan was forced to move out of the house, Dan was being that much harder on Nathan with basketball and training. She could see it every day, but looking at him now, she knew Dan had hit a new low and she hated seeing how tired and upset Nathan looked right now as he sat on her bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

"Well, let's get you out of those clothes and get some sleep, what do you say?" She said as she went to stand in front of him as he pulled his head from his hands and placed them on her hips as he looked up tiredly into her eyes.

"You're not going to tell me to go home?" He asked her with hesitance.

"No babe," She said as she took his face gently in her hands, looking down into his beautiful blue eyes. "You are not going anywhere but under those sheets, right next to me tonight." She leaned down and kissed his lips softly and rested her forehead against hers. "Let's get some sleep."

He smiled up at her and pulled back from her as he stood up and moved to take his shirt off and his shoes and socks. He then watched her pull her sheets back on both sides before sliding into them. He joined her a few seconds later and she reached over on her nightstand and turned off the light. Next thing she knew he was pulling her against him and holding her close, cuddling up to her like it was the only way for him to breathe. She didn't mind, being this close to Nathan made her giddy. It was a feeling she knew she could get used to and fast if she didn't watch her heart.  
At that moment, he had known she was special and important to him, but her sincerity right now with him, made him fall in love with her. He had known he loved her, but never let himself believe it. But in this exact moment, he knew it was all too true and he was a goner. Nathan Scott was in love with Haley James and probably always would be.

He softly kissed the side of her neck as they said goodnight and drifted away. They lay there wrapped up in each other and fell into a deep and peaceful slumber. Both were more content and happy with one another than either had even been in their lives. All they needed was each other and they knew they could get through anything. As long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is only the first chapter, and as you can probably tell I made this two families that all have secret crushes on a certain person in the other family. Lucas and Nathan are brothers and Peyton is their cousin on their moms side so she is still Sawyer as being her dads last name. Haley and Jake are twins in this story and Brooke is their cousin on their moms side so she is still Davis from her dad. I'm trying to mix things up and be creative with this story so let me know what you guys think! Feed back (good or bad) is greatly appreciated because it feeds my writers soul! I will update soon!


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